Order of Operations isn't just for
mathematics. Ray Morton created one for script revision as well – a way of
prioritizing the elements of a screenplay from what he considers the most
important to the least important.Read More...

Many writers are paralyzed at the prospect
of pitching their stories, but Script’s editor, Jeanne Veillette Bowerman,
wants to push you past those fears with concrete tips on how to successfully
pitch agents at pitching events.Read More...

At the conclusion of this course you will
have gone through the process of developing psychological backstories for
your protagonist and supporting characters. You will also have created an
environment in which your characters come to life as their personalities
either mesh with their environment or thrive in spite of it.Enroll Now...

Our webinars include both access to the live
webinar where you may interact with the presenter and the recorded, on-demand
edition for your video library. You do not have to attend the live event to
get a recording of the presentation.

Have you spoken out in your dialogue every
intention and emotion? Don’t rob the characters of chances to find emotion in
between the words. Paul Peditto examines some examples of dialogue subtext.Read More...

As one of the most successful genres for launching careers, horror has
stood the test of time as a playful genre for innovation and new talent to
succeed within low budget limitations. This year's judges include
producers, managers and writers at the top of their game in the horror
genre, with films to their credit including A QUIET PLACE, DONNIE DARKO, INSIDIOUS, SAW, GET OUT,
THE PURGE and many more.

Mark your calendar: the final deadline is June 29th, 2018.

The 2018 judges include some of
Hollywood's top horror movie producers:

Sean McKittrick, Film Producer at Darko Entertainment, and the
producer of such films as DONNIE
DARKO, PRIDE
AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES and Jordan Peele’s recent
blockbuster GET
OUT.

Ryan Turek,
VP of Development at Blumhouse
Productions (company credits include PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, INSIDIOUS, SINISTER, OCULUS, THE PURGE, THE GREEN INFERNO andAcademy-award
nominee WHIPLASH).
Turek is also the founder of popular horror website
ShockTillYouDrop.com.

Kailey Marsh,
Manager / Producer and CEO of Kailey Marsh Media as well as the
creator of Bloodlist.com & BloodList,
the highly anticipated annual list of best unproduced horror and dark
genre screenplays in Hollywood. Kailey’s clients include multiple
staffed writers & directors as well as clients writing projects
for studios.

Andrew Wilson, Manager at Zero
Gravity Management, the production and management
production company behind dozens of genre films, as well as such top
Hollywood talent as Katherine Heigl, Madison Iseman, Will Yun Lee,
Maggie Grace, Dolph Lundgren, Kellan Lutz and many more.

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, Screenwriters of A QUIET PLACE, the surprise 2018
blockbuster (starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt) that topped the
box office two weekends in a row!

SUBMIT YOUR HORROR SCREENPLAY FOR CONSIDERATION HERE
BY THE FINAL DEADLINE ON JUNE 29th.

This week's screenwriting tip, veteran
screenwriter Jeremy Leven (The
Notebook) shows how to lay the groundwork for writing the reveal
without giving it away or making the audience feel they are being toyed with.

There is an apocryphal story, which,
considering those involved, is most likely less apocryphal than assumed,
about Jack Warner’s hiring Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond to write a
screenplay for him. He sets them up in an office down the hall from his, complete
with two sofas, two desks and two Royal typewriters, with enough paper and
carbons to retype Moby Dick triple-spaced.
But weeks go by, and Warner can’t help but notice that each time he passes
their office, there is no clack-clackclack of the Royal portable coming from
within. Finally, unable to take it any longer, Warner bursts into the office
and finds Wilder stretched out on one sofa, Diamond across the room on the
other, puffing on cigars, conversing congenially. “What the hell is going on
here?” Warner asks, using words somewhat more colorful, one suspects. “We’re
writing a movie,” Wilder responds calmly. “The rest is typing.”

As a screenwriter, this is the essential tale. Figuring out a compelling
story, developing engaging characters from which the story emerges and
determining the plot points and act breaks, the right tone and where the
tension, humor and emotion is to be found is the primary (and most difficult)
work. Read More...

This week's screenwriting tip is an
invitation to the Big Apple to join me and award-winning screenwriter Jacob
Krueger at the Writer’s Digest Conference this August in NYC. I promise, you
will not regret the trip! I have always been a fan of the WDC and would love
to see you there!

If there is a writers' conference, I'm
in. I swear, I get chills every time writers gather together to learn
and network.

I am a conference junkie and have gone to countless events across the
country, as both an attendee and speaker. However, there is none like the
annual Writer's Digest Annual Conference in New York City. In fact, this was the
very first conference I ever attended, back in 2007. The Pitch Slam event that year was also my
very first pitch (I totally bombed...shhh). That conference
experience energized me, and gave me the courage to hop on a plane three
weeks later to pitch executives at a Los Angeles conference. All of the
pitching I've done at pitching events prepared me for my later meetings
with top executives at many studios and networks. Understandably, I have a
special place in my heart for WDC and have gone as many years as I can.

With the upcoming merger of Script magazine and Writer's Digest,
there is no better time for a screenwriter to attend WDC or for a novelist
to learn screenwriting — pro screenwriters are writing novels, and book
rights are selling to Hollywood before the novels are even completed.
Writers are stepping out of their comfort zones and embracing all mediums!
Why not you?

We're offering a pre-conference event tailored to novelists and new
screenwriters on Thursday, August 9th from 9AM to 5PM, lead by
award-winning screenwriter, Jacob Krueger. Even if you have a few
scripts under your belt, going back to basics can provide tips to elevate
your story. Jacob is a stellar instructor!

I'd love to see you there, stretching outside your comfort zone to bring
your stories to a broader audience. My hope is that we'll all stop slapping
single-medium labels on ourselves and simply start embracing that we are
all writers. Period. On my business card, it reads, "Writer of
things." Let's all learn some new things and ways to write!

Now in its 16th year,
the Script Pipeline Screenwriting Competition seeks talented writers and
exceptional screenplays to connect with production companies, agencies, and
managers. As one of the longest-running screenwriting contests, Script
Pipeline continues to cultivate relationships with the industry's top
executives, focused specifically on finding writers representation,
supporting diverse voices, championing marketable, unique storytelling, and
pushing more original projects into production.

The 11th Script
Pipeline TV Writing Competition is searching for extraordinary television
writers and fresh, compelling pilots for exposure to production companies,
agencies, and managers. Launched in 2008 as a response to the growing demand
for new episodic content, the competition has established its role as a go-to
outlet for emerging writers looking to get staffed on shows or develop their
TV material.

The company's
distinctive long-term facilitation process helps contest alumni find elite
representation and gain crucial introductions to Hollywood, with $6 million
in screenplays and pilots sold by competition finalists and
"Recommend" writers since 2010 alone. Last year, close to 8,000
screenplays were entered in the Screenwriting and TV Writing Competitions,
making Script Pipeline one of the leading companies reviewing unproduced
material. Notable success stories can be found on the contest pages.

Finalists for both
competitions receive immediate circulation to Script Pipeline partners, in
addition to the following:

- Henry Dunham's
The Incident at Sparrow Creek Lumberwrapped production in
April 2018 with an ensemble cast featuring James Badge Dale (Rubicon),
Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker), Happy Anderson (Mindhunter),
Robert Armayo (Game of Thrones), and Gene Jones (The Hateful
Eight). Dunham is making his feature directorial debut. The project,
originally titled Militia, won the 2015 Script Pipeline
Screenwriting Competition, and Henry was connected with representation less
than a month after contest results were announced, signing with Pipeline
industry partner Madhouse Entertainment.

- The
action-comedy Stuber, written by Script Pipeline Screenwriting
Contest winner Tripper Clancy, attached Dave Bautista (Guardians
of the Galaxy), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big
Sick), and Iko Uwais (The Raid)
. 20th Century Fox picked up the script, based on a pitch developed by
Tripper and manager Jake Wagner (Good Fear), in April 2016.

- Off the
Menu, written by Script Pipeline Screenwriting Competition finalist Jen
Goldson, released in February 2018. Industry partner Jay
Silverman (Girl on the Edge), who directed the romcom,
picked up the project in 2015. Silverman and producer Bethany Cerrona
met Goldson at the annual Script Pipeline writer/industry event in Los
Angeles.

- Writers Burke
Scurfield and Adam Lederer signed with manager Drew Shenfield at
Mosaic in 2018. Their comedy pilot, Big Boy, was circulated
by Script Pipeline to Mosaic execs after the script’s top 10 placement in the
2017 TV Writing Competition.

*FILMMAKERS: visit Film
Pipeline and submit a produced short or unproduced script. Launched
in January 2018, it's a new platform to connect up-and-coming directors with
agents and managers, as well as help get short films made. Learn more here.

On ScriptMag.com
this week, I wanted to revisit a classic article on The Social Network. Seems
fitting, given the Facebook fiasco in the news lately. We also have great
tips on writing query letters, the history of inclusion riders and more!
Check out our full list
of contributors and follow them on Twitter too.

There are hundreds of other competitions with no track record, no connections
and giving the illusion that they are connected to the industry. Submit to a
competition that has a proven track record for 20 years!

Over 91 producers reading all the entries and $50,000 in prizes. Deadline
April 30

Not all writers can afford to spend their
whole day in front of the computer, typing out their next great script. Learn
effective time management techniques on how to plan ahead and make writing a
fixed part of your life.Read More...

This genre is truly a writer’s medium: If
you can present a new version of an old concept and scare us on the page,
your script can sell. Plus, there is always room for innovation and
creativity within the field. That’s why horror is a natural choice for many a
screenwriter.Enroll Now...

Our webinars include both access to the live
webinar where you may interact with the presenter and the recorded, on-demand
edition for your video library. You do not have to attend the live event to
get a recording of the presentation.

Ashley Scott Meyers talks with screenwriter
and script consultant, Steve Deering about his recently optioned screenplay.
Steve also offers up some great tips to help screenwriters avoid some of the
most common problems he sees as a consultant.Read More...

Between contests and my usual work load, I
have been reading a lot of spec scripts lately. In doing so, I noticed a
number of things coming up over and over again that motivated me to formulate
a little list of things that you probably shouldn’t do when writing a spec.Read More...

Writers write character. But characters with
nothing to do are boring, and movies so written seldom get made. It’s all
about story. Serve the story and you are off to the races. Or are you? Time
and again writers come against the conundrum of a potential producer loving
the story you tell, it’s just that there is no way they can raise the budget
that would be needed to tell it. “Love the Jurassic Park story ideas, but,
does it have to be dinosaurs? I hear they’re very expensive.”

This article pits the demands of telling a good, compelling story against the
business demands of making the film producible within budgetary and time
constraints. Writing films are flights of fancy with no limitations.
Producing films are practical things with lots of logistics. It may seem
dichotomous, but the two disparate viewpoints can be reconciled. Read More...

Do you have a
finished screenplay? The next step is your Coverage; an analysis and rating
of your script by a professional reader who's been trained to spot exactly
what Agents, Managers, Producers and content buyers are looking for in a
screenplay. When you purchase a ScriptXpert
Coverage with Development Notes not only will you receive a top
notch Coverage, but you will gain extensive notes on your concept, structure,
pacing and more.

Film critic, filmmaker, and radio host Mike
Sargent interviews award-winning writer Trey Ellis on his life-changing
experiences of making the Martin Luther King HBO documentary, King in the Wilderness.

Trey Ellis is an American Book Award-winning
novelist, Peabody-winning and Emmy-nominated screenwriter, playwright and
Associate Professor of Screenwriting in the Graduate School of Film at
Columbia University. His works have been screened at the Museum of Modern Art
and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. His first play, Fly, was commissioned and
performed at The Lincoln Center Institute, continues to play around the
country, including the historic Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C., the
Pasadena Playhouse and the New Victory Theater on 42nd Street in New York
City.

I had the opportunity to speak with Trey about the powerful new documentary King In The Wilderness
which focuses on the last three years of Martin Luther King’s life.

Mike Sargent: As a writer and a storyteller, when did you first know you
wanted to be a storyteller?

Trey Ellis: I always wanted to. I knew from a very young age, I didn’t want
to have a boss, so I just knew that I wanted to write, tell stories. Also,
when I was a kid, I remember in the fourth or fifth grade, I had this image
of a novelist living on a boat in Nantucket typing on a manual typewriter,
beautiful wife with a bikini who would bring him a martini. I didn’t know
what a martini was, but I just thought that’s what a writer did, and that
sounded like a good way to live. Read More...

Writer's Digest
eBooks can help you learn how to get published, create your author platform,
develop your story and characters, and beat the dreaded writer's block. For
the first time ever you can download all of these great resources (over 180)
for only $4.99 each
for a limited time. No coupon needed, start stocking up today!

The first stop,
after you submit to a production company or studio, is Coverage, an analysis
and rating of your script by a professional reader who's been trained to spot
exactly what Agents, Managers, Producers and content buyers are looking for
in a screenplay. ScriptXpert is a team of professionals will help you polish
your script and iron out all the wrinkles you didn't know you missed. They
know exactly what agents, managers, and producers are looking for in a solid
screenplay.

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods are two
screenwriters you may not have heard of yet but surely will very soon. Scott
and Bryan first met as sixth-graders in their hometown of Bettendorf, Iowa.
After discovering a shared interest in cinema, the duo began making
stop-motion movies together with their Star Wars action figures. This
collaboration continued into high school, where they directed numerous shorts
and their first feature films.

As teenagers, Beck and Woods were shortlisted as two of the top 50 directors
(out of 2,000 applicants) for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's Project Greenlight series
on Bravo. While still in college, Beck and Woods' work caught the eye of MTV
Films, which offered the pair a feature film development deal. The duo went
on to write and direct an original scripted pilot for MTV and executive
producer David Gale (Election) and were later listed as "The Top 100
Writers on the Verge" by Tracking-Board.com. In 2001, Beck and Woods
formed their production company banner Bluebox Films, under which they would
write, direct and produce films, commercials, and television content.

I caught up with the busy writing team in New York city at the junket for
their latest film A Quiet
Place for Paramount Pictures. Set for release on Friday, April 6,
2018, A Quiet Place
stars (real-life husband and wife) Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, who also
directed. Beck and Woods also serve as executive producers together with
Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes banner producing. The screenplay was named
one of the ten best scripts of the year by The Tracking Board 2017 Hit List.

A Quiet Place is
billed as a horror film but it is more akin to a Twilight Zone episode (which we discuss
during the interview) the premise is that Aliens landed and wiped out much of
humanity and too late we discovered that though blind, they have a heightened
sense of hearing and the only way to escape detection is to be very, very
quiet. Those who have survived, have learned to live and communicate
virtually without making a sound as the slightest decibel outburst will
result in sudden vicious death.

The main story centers around a family of four who live in silence during the
aftermath of the Alien invasion. Paramount Pictures describes the film,
"In the modern horror thriller A
Quiet Place, a family of four must navigate their lives in
silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threaten their
survival. If they hear you, they hunt you.” ... Read More...

Spalding’s affordable, top-tier
low-residency screenwriting MFA serves industry professionals, new
scriptwriters, and aspiring professors. Students with a produced script may
accelerate their studies. Alumni have sold features and TV episodes and won
national competitions. Faculty offer East and West Coast sensibilities.
Flexible scheduling, cross-genre study, optional travel abroad. Inquire
here.

Are you in a writing slump? Lynn Dickinson
teaches you how to Writer’s Limbo by setting writing goals that keep the bar
low!Read More...

Advertisement

20th Annual
Scriptapalooza Screenplay & Shorts Competition

There are hundreds of other competitions with no track record, no connections
and giving the illusion that they are connected to the industry. Submit to a
competition that has a proven track record for 20 years!

Over 91 producers reading all the entries and $50,000 in prizes. Deadline
April 16

A collaborative medium, documentary writing
requires research and an understanding of the audience’s expectations, and
how the writer can keep an open mind when challenged by the unforeseen,
including the exposing of surprising material and interview subjects’
unexpected responses. This course will examine and offer specific strategies
for writing and planning a documentary.Enroll Now...

Our webinars include both access to the live
webinar where you may interact with the presenter and the recorded, on-demand
edition for your video library. You do not have to attend the live event to
get a recording of the presentation.

When writing an action movie, you need
powerful action happening often... but how much juice is enough? William C.
Martell gives insights into finding a balance between story and the
"pow" of action. Read More...

A story is only as strong as its
protagonist. If your protagonist is weak and passive, your readers won’t care
if s/he succeeds or fails. Knowing the definition of a protagonist is
critical to fully understanding how to create a strong main character that
will attract A-list actors. Begin on this page by exploring the definition
and essentials of having a strong protagonist.Read More...

About Me

I am a writer who is looking to expand on the articles, poems, short stories and reviews I have had published and the plays and radio plays I have had performed. I am actively seeking a position in the creative industry whilst continuing to write novels, plays, poems and scripts.